


Like Clockwork

by townshend



Category: Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:45:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/townshend/pseuds/townshend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was loosely based in the universe of <a href="http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/47724463171/inspired-by-anita-sarkeesians-video-game-tropes">Aaron Diaz's "Clockwork Empire" game proposal</a>, in which Link is a prince and Zelda is the more conventional hero. My goal was to merge details of this idea with plenty of parallels to Ocarina of Time, but with the Zelda and Link role reversal - I hope I'm successful! To be clear, you shouldn't at all need to be familiar with the Clockwork Empire idea to read and hopefully enjoy this fic (but you should anyway, because it's great and there's shiny art, although I picture my Ganon much closer to OoT Ganon than Diaz's Ganon).</p><p>That having been said, I did my best to portray Link and Ganon's relationship in a way I thought you'd enjoy. I hope I got it down! Also, I have to apologize about the length... this got a little away from me.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boywonder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boywonder/gifts).



> This fic was loosely based in the universe of [Aaron Diaz's "Clockwork Empire" game proposal](http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/47724463171/inspired-by-anita-sarkeesians-video-game-tropes), in which Link is a prince and Zelda is the more conventional hero. My goal was to merge details of this idea with plenty of parallels to Ocarina of Time, but with the Zelda and Link role reversal - I hope I'm successful! To be clear, you shouldn't at all need to be familiar with the Clockwork Empire idea to read and hopefully enjoy this fic (but you should anyway, because it's great and there's shiny art, although I picture my Ganon much closer to OoT Ganon than Diaz's Ganon).
> 
> That having been said, I did my best to portray Link and Ganon's relationship in a way I thought you'd enjoy. I hope I got it down! Also, I have to apologize about the length... this got a little away from me.

Even as the prince, there were places in the palace Link wasn't allowed to go - it made sense, sort of. After all, there was no need for him to be in the servant's quarters or the dungeon towers, he'd only get in the way in the kitchens or the storerooms, and it would be a breach of privacy for him to be in the private rooms of anyone else who lived in the palace, like Archduke Ganondorf Dragmire (his mother's advisor), or his tutor. Mainly, he stuck to his own quarters, the library, or the training hall.

Link was an avid reader - the palace library was enormous, but over the years, he'd begun to work through it. Starting at one end and reading through was too boring - with the organization system that was in place, he'd end up reading too many books on the same subject one after the other and lose interest, so he'd taken to picking his books at random. He came across interesting things that way - books detailing centuries old mythology of a land called Hyrule, books about philosophies he never heard in court, and books about combat and sword technique - after reading the last one, he'd taken such an interest in the subject that he'd managed to convince the captain of the guard to hire him a trainer, and thrown himself avidly into learning how to fight using a sword and shield. Archery was a little more difficult, but he was getting the hang of it.

Even so, those things could only occupy Link's attention for so long. Reading books about history, geography, and adventure eventually had to give Link the desire to see these things for himself - he was eighteen years old now, he reasoned, and surely he was ready to see the world beyond the palace gates. Even if it was unexciting, he needed to see every part of it.

Link had spent the last three days going over those thoughts - his mother was often distant and unavailable, but he knew her well enough to agonize over how to present his request to her. He'd frame it, he decided, as part of his royal duties - after all, wasn't it important for him to get to know the land he'd someday come to rule, and even the lands outlying theirs he'd need to have knowledge of to be effective?

Once Link found the right words, it wasn't hard to find the courage to ask. He woke early the next morning, so early most of the people typically in the throne room wouldn't be around, and dressed quickly with the help of his clockwork assistants - there were human servants in the palace, of course, but Link often found himself surrounded by servants made entirely of machine parts, operating carefully measured tasks. He didn't mind them, even if he couldn't hold a conversation with them - on the whole, Link wasn't too talkative himself.

The palace was large - Link had a bit of a walk to make it to the throne room. His wing, containing his bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, and smaller personal library was about as far from the centralized throne room as it could be. At this hour, very few were awake, and Link walked through quiet marble halls, stepping through the rays of sunlight just now coming in through wide windows. At this time of day, the sun wasn't quite up, and the light that was coming in was brilliant - orange, red, and pink hues colored the hall naturally, making it look vibrant and alive.

When he reached the throne room, he was surprised to find the doors were mostly closed, open only a crack, and two guards were posted outside - Link stepped closer to enter, but they didn't seem as if they were going to step aside to let him through, and he raised an eyebrow, wordlessly questioning them.

"The Empress is seeing her advisor now," one of them said, then seemed embarrassed, quickly correcting himself, "Your mother, that is. I'm sure she'll speak with you shortly, but..." He trailed off, and the other quickly picked up where he left off.

"They requested not to be disturbed," the guard on Link's right spoke, looking apologetic. "My apologies, your majesty. We're uncertain when they'll be finished."

Link frowned, trying to peer through the crack in the door, but there was nothing much to see there - he could hear the Archduke's booming voice, but it didn't seem he was welcome to listen here, and he felt uncomfortable so blatantly eavesdropping in front of others that he finally nodded, excused himself, and turned down the hall.

Luckily, with so much time in the palace, Link had learned its ins and outs fairly well. As a child, Link had often been uncomfortable being away from his mother for long periods of time while she dealt with political matters, and had gotten good at sneaking away from his nannies in an attempt to get to where she was working. He'd eventually found a small platform built in the throne room's rafters that had probably once been used as a secret guard spot, but was now deserted. Link had fond memories of taking books up there, reading as best as he could at a young age, a bowl of fruit beside him, comforted by the sound of his mother's voice below. He hadn't been in that hideout in a while, but now seemed like a good opportunity.

The easiest entrance was on the floor above, and Link moved quickly towards the stairs, stepping up them, past a clockwork servant polishing the carved stairway railing. The ladder to the hideout was concealed in a small, cramped storage room that had been mostly forgotten - Link shifted a few bags of grain and a stack of wooden crates to access it. The ladder was worn and rickety, showing clear signs of its age, but Link was confident it could hold his weight. At the top of the ladder, there was a small wooden door, and Link slid it open, crawling through the opening with only a little difficulty.

The platform was as he remembered it - if a little smaller. There were even a couple children's books he must have neglected, and he crawled past them, carefully, trying to maintain silence. The platform was located fairly securely in the room's rafters, against a far wall, so it seemed unlikely he'd be noticed even if the wood did creak a bit, but he didn't want to take unnecessary chances.

The throne room below was simple and understated, with muted colors, but still managed to look like something befitting royalty - it was a wide, spacious hall, with large windows against the far well, letting in that same morning light (although the colors had already begun to change) and a long, plush rug that ran from the room's front doors to the ornate throne at the end.

Right now, Link's mother, the Empress, was sitting in that throne, silent and unmoving. Her expression was unreadable from here - Link was too far away, and at the wrong angle to see her face.

In front of her, her advisor, the Archduke Ganondorf Dragmire, paced lines, his arms clasped behind his back, his shoulders stiff, showing clear signs of tension. To be fair, Link thought, the man nearly always looked that way. His boots made loud noises on the white marble floor, then muted, almost imperceptible sounds when he crossed onto the strip of carpet, and then loud noises again on the other side of the marble, pounding out an intense rhythm as he stepped back and forth in a repeated line. Link watched him move, lying flat on his stomach, fingers curled around the edge of the platform in front of him, just barely peeking out into the room below.

"They violated the law," he spoke, carefully. The acoustics in the throne room had always been good - Link blamed the high, arched ceilings - but Dragmire's tone was such that, right now, he wouldn't need good acoustics to be heard. "Crossing lines into our Empire and conducting business without paying the proper taxes is an insult to you, your majesty. It says they believe they are above our laws. Outsiders must be held accountable for infractions, just as your own citizens are. Perhaps even more so."

The Empress did not speak for a moment. Link strained his ears, wondering if she was just being quiet. Finally, her voice reached him, sounding reluctant and tired. "That may be," she said, "but it seems they should have simply been ordered to pay the tax or told to disperse. Your men could have handled such a task. Surely capturing them and imprisoning them in the tower was unnecessary."

Dragmire stopped pacing, his long cape catching the light in an interesting way and shimmering, fabric rippling and then coming to a rest. He had turned to face the Empress and stood silent for a moment before suddenly sweeping low in a bow, cape edge clenched in one hand. Link was surprised - it was an unfittingly graceful gesture for such a large, intimidating man.

"I apologize deeply, your Grace," he spoke, the words pressed, measured. "It seems the entire situation was not made clear to you. When my men entered their tents to remind them of the tax due, peacefully, they discovered possible evidence of an anti-monarchy sentiment. We're simply holding the Sheikah group until further investigation can be conducted. It was for your safety, and that of the prince."

"I see..." The Empress turned her head, as if gazing out of the windows into the courtyard garden. "In that case... I suppose these actions are unavoidable." She cleared her throat. "I should be the one to apologize. I should not have doubted your judgment."

"That is unnecessary," Dragmire replied. Link was trying to piece their words together - apparently, Dragmire had taken a group of people, "Sheikah" people, captive and was holding them in the prison tower...on charges of potential treason? It sounded like they were travelers, merchants, maybe? The entire issue piqued Link's curiosity - he'd come here to ask his mother for permission to leave the palace walls and see the outside world, and on that same day, a part of the outside world had come to him.

Still, a meeting like this between his mother and Ganondorf Dragmire, where they would ask even the royal guard to leave the chamber, made Link...uncomfortable in a way he had difficulty explaining. Dragmire had been his mother's advisor for years, and she seemed to trust his advice, but Link felt a strange, unpleasant feeling settling into his chest when he looked at the man.

Dragmire wasn't Calatian - he'd arrived in the Empire from a "faraway country" Link hadn't heard much about. Regardless of his sudden appearance and his vague background, he'd appeared in court and soon become his mother's advisor, earning her trust in a way that seemed unnaturally fast. Dragmire was a quiet man, from what little Link had seen of him, but his quietness didn't originate from shyness, or an introverted personality, or a lack of anything to say. Ganondorf's silence seemed heavy and cumbersome; there was an intimidating air to it that made a prickling sensation rise up Link's spine when their eyes met - and although Link didn't make a habit of having strange, symbolic dreams, he was certain there was a connection between the disquieting dreams he'd had since the man arrived and Ganondorf himself. They were dreams of darkness, oppression, and jolting fear - the imagery was always difficult to remember once he woke, but the unsettling feeling always stayed in the pit of his stomach, simmering, for days afterwards.

Right now, though, something else was bothering Link - that word, "Sheikah". He was sure he'd heard it before, but he couldn't recall where. He didn't have too many sources of information - the things Link learned came from court gossip (which was mostly useless), his tutor, or the books he consumed in the library - and going through those, one by one, trying to find what he'd read before, would take months, if he was lucky.

What was sure was that for now, Link's mission to propose leaving the palace walls to his mother was completely forgotten. The implications of the conversation he'd just witnessed were much more interesting, occupying his thoughts completely. Link spent his lessons that day completely distracted. The idea of meeting or even seeing foreigners was intriguing to him - Archduke Dragmire, of course, was foreign, and Link's combat instructor didn't come from Calatia, either, and they were both at least _interesting_ , if in completely different ways. Somehow, the Archduke's claim that the Sheikah were conspiring to do harm to him or the Empress was forgotten - if Link had ever believed such a thing in the first place.

He'd have to meet these people - or at the very least, he wanted to see them firsthand. He couldn't simply walk in and do that, of course - that area was completely off-limits to him, and the guards would never budge for him on it, prince or not. Halfway through dinner, Link made the decision that he would have to sneak in - and that it would have to be that night, or he could miss his chance.

The prison tower - which also held Dragmire's quarters, comprised of several personal rooms - was on the opposite side of the palace from Link's wing, but much closer to the library entrance. After excusing himself from dinner and taking his leave, Link made his way to the library - not a wholly unusual thing for him - and took a book, seating himself at a desk with a gas lamp still lit, trying his best to read it.

Time seemed to crawl on, and even as the sun set and the sky dimmed, Link continued forcing himself to read, trying to pass time faster. If he could stay in here late enough, the hall would be significantly more empty, the library caretaker would go to bed, and Link would be alone.

He'd nearly reached the end of the book he'd picked up when the caretaker, an old, frail man who bundled in warm clothing even in summer, approached.

"I'm going to sleep now, if you're okay here by yourself," he said, bowing his head. Link looked up, then smiled, nodding. "I hate to ask you, but if you can extinguish all the lamps before you leave tonight..." He looked apologetic, and Link's smile widened.

"I'm a prince," he said, slowly, and the man's eyes widened for just a moment before Link quickly continued, "It only means I have an important mother. There's nothing special about me, really...of course I can turn off these lamps. You can always ask me for help if you need it."

The caretaker nodded. "Of course, of course..." He turned to leave, hobbling a few steps towards the doorway before turning again, shifting weight onto his polished metal cane that shook under his unsteady grip. "But being a prince means more than just that. You are special, Link. It's wrong to treat you as if you can't do anything, or as if asking you to complete a mundane task would be beneath you. That's what you're saying, isn't it? That may be..." He looked thoughtful, his gaze on the floor. The wrinkle lines on his face seemed to be etched into his skin even darker than before as he frowned. "But you are special. You will have to discover how on your own." The caretaker nodded, as if pleased by his own "advice", and shambled the rest of the way out. The heavy library door closed behind him, and Link watched the door for a moment, lips pursed - half of his thoughts on what the man had just said, while the other half had already leapt ahead to the plan he'd only half-formulated before.

He couldn't deny that being a prince meant more than having important family - it meant he'd have to rule himself one day, and that all the responsibility on his mother's shoulders would one day fall to him. Link gave plenty of thought to the topic of how he'd rule, if he'd do a good job, and whether or not he was prepared for such an obligation. Undoubtedly, he thought, becoming more acquainted with the outside world would help that exponentially.

With that segue, his thoughts turned entirely on the plan ahead of him.

Once he was sure the caretaker wasn't coming back, Link slipped the book he'd been reading back on the shelf and moved through the library, extinguishing the gas lamps one by one until the room was dark.

The hallway beyond was still dimly lit. Link peered down it, towards the wide double doors that sealed the tower from the rest of the palace. Currently, those doors were unguarded. It looked like now was his only chance.

He didn't waste any time. Link stepped down the hall, quickly, the sounds from his boots muffled by the carpet. It was important to be quick and quiet - and while Link wasn't sure that what he was doing was actually _wrong_ , he knew he wasn't supposed to be there, and his heart pounded and fluttered in his chest as he tried carefully to shut the door behind him as quietly as possible.

Link stood on the second floor of Dragmire's tower, now - the first floor, as far as he knew, was dedicated to housing most of the upper ranking soldiers of the national guard, which Ganon commanded. The rest of the tower's layout was a complete mystery to Link - the only way he'd find his way around would be to explore, carefully and quickly. For a moment, though, he stood in the hallway, dazed.

It seemed like he'd entered an entirely different building. Link could see the white marble stretching down the hallway, but beyond that, it looked nothing like the rest of the palace - even the sconces around the many gas lamps lining the walls, keeping the hallway brightly lit, were different. There was deep red carpeting on the floors, and many detailed tapestries hung on the walls. The air had a strange scent to it - it was smoky and heavy. He was so intrigued and dazed as he stepped down the hall that, when he turned to round a corner, he hadn't paid any attention to his surroundings at all.

"Ow—" There was a gasp of pain, and Link gasped too, mostly in surprise, clutching his forehead. He'd bumped into someone, and hard. His stomach almost dropped out - surely this meant he was caught, and he'd get into some kind of trouble...but when he looked up, chancing a glance at the person he'd collided with, he realized very quickly that it was not a guard.

She was a girl, probably the same age as him, wearing a hooded white robe, black tights, and a set of light armor. The robe had a splash of color down its front - a strange symbol of a red eye dripping what looked to be a long tear that stretched down the robe to the girl's knees, painted against a teal background. Link had never seen clothing like this before. The girl's mouth and nose was covered by a mask of black cloth, but her eyes were clearly visible - large, hazel eyes that stared back at Link with as much trepidation as he was feeling.

She was definitely not a guard.

"Excuse me," Link said, which seemed ridiculous to say, given the situation. The girl seemed to think the same thing - her eyebrows crinkled in together in confusion, and she reached up to pull the mask against her mouth away, loosening the cloth around her neck.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, her voice low. "Who are you, anyway?" She was giving his clothing a once-over - Link's fancy green outfit, a jacket and pants, richly detailed and embroidered; and the white shirt he was wearing under it, complete with ruffles and carefully pressed, had never felt so ridiculous. The girl's expression seemed carefully guarded. Her lips were pursed, eyes on Link's face, but it seemed she was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

"I get the feeling neither of us are supposed to be here," she said, suddenly - Link hadn't even gotten a chance to answer, too uncertain how to introduce himself in such a strange situation. "But at least you look more the part."

Suddenly, behind them, there was a faint sound of idle whistling, and the unmistakable shift and clink of armor as a guard drew nearer to where they stood. The girl bit her bottom lip, worriedly, and suddenly snagged Link's arm, pulling him across the hallway and into a door. She eased it shut behind them, soundlessly - Link had to admit, he was impressed at how effectively she'd managed to get them away. She turned towards the room, her eyes moving quickly every which way, taking in every corner.

The room they were standing in was a little dimmer than the hall - there was a fireplace to Link's right, and on the wall above it, an ornate shield was on display. The room itself looked something like a study - bookshelves lined the wall to Link's left, filled with thick, leather-bound books Link didn't think he'd seen copies of before. Many of them had unfamiliar letters on their bindings.

In the middle of the room, there were several tables - a sturdy, heavy desk with a few books and loose papers on it, and a long, thin table showcasing several items that looked as if they were on display.

Before Link could get a closer look, however, he was startled out of his thoughts by a loud voice.

"They'll be useful, given some persuasion," it said - Link recognized the voice immediately as belonging to Ganon, and its location - coming from the other side of a closed door beside the fireplace - meant he was right there, in the adjacent room. Link sucked in a breath, his heart suddenly remembering the situation it was in and starting its pounding back up, so hard Link could hear the blood in his ears.

"We need to leave," he hissed, but when he turned towards the girl, she was too busy - she'd crossed the room and yanked open a cupboard, and was currently rummaging around inside. There was quite a bit in there - a small leather shield; a sheathed sword; and a leather belt, handmade with intricate design work. The girl moved quickly, strapping the belt on, tying the sword it to at her hip. Her movements were practiced and quick...was this equipment hers?

"What's your name?" Link asked, suddenly. She turned towards him, frowning.

"I'm Zelda," she said. "And who are you? You're not a guard, not in those clothes. You didn't try to recapture me, either."

"Recapture?" Link echoed. "Then, you're—"

"That much is up to you," Ganon's voice interjected from the other room. "Whatever needs to be done to ensure results. If they know something, I want to know what that is. If they don't, they're useless to me." His tone was so sharp and forceful that it cut Link off, and he swallowed, glancing towards the door.

"That's right, I'm one of the Sheikah." She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"No," Link answered, promptly. "...Even if I wanted to, I might not be in a position to, right here."

Zelda's lips turned up - she looked slightly amused. "You're the prince, aren't you?" she asked. "That's the only thing that makes sense from what I know. I thought you'd get run of this place."

Link opened his mouth to answer - despite not being sure what to say - but stopped himself - there was shifting and sharp noises in the other room, and Link wasn't sure what the noises meant, but he knew he didn't want to be caught here - and Zelda was in an even worse position than he was. She swallowed visibly, eyes settling on the door leading to the adjacent room with heavy anger.

"We need to leave," she said, and Link couldn't agree more - but when Zelda turned to shut the cabinet and head for the door, a yellow stone on a long, golden chain shifted from behind the collar of her cloak, falling in plain site. Link barely had time to see it before, suddenly, the stone began to rise from its place against Zelda's chest, lifting into the air, held in place only by the chain around her neck. Zelda froze, watching in shock as the stone emitted a yellow light, glowing against her skin. It felt as if it was trying to get away, pulling against its chain, pointed towards a strange leather and metal glove on display on the long table. Zelda took one step forward, then another, approaching the table when—

The heavy fall of footsteps got louder and louder, and the door behind them opened.

At this distance - six or seven feet away - Ganondorf, who'd looked intimidating and large even high up in Link's rafter hideout that morning, was downright threatening. He wasn't alone, either - Link recognized the Captain of the Guard standing behind him. He must have been the man Ganon had been talking to.

For a moment, the room seemed frozen. Link didn't know what was happening, but his thoughts were racing. Zelda was a Sheikah, and she'd escaped from being kidnapped. Based on what he'd heard Ganon saying to the other man just now, Link knew he had nasty plans for Zelda's people. Link didn't know why, or to what ends, and he hadn't thought any of this through - but his first instinct was to _do something_ , anything to protect Zelda and give her a fighting chance.

"Seize her!" Ganon shouted, and the guard moved to take a step forward. Link quickly stepped between them.

"No," he said, firmly. His heart was still hammering in his chest, but he knew he had to stop this, even if he had no idea how. Ganon stared down at him, his eyes narrowed and dangerous.

"This girl is a criminal," he growled, "and now she's trying to flee. Assisting her would be treason - even for you."

It was hard to believe what was happening - but Ganon's words, even if they were true, weren't enough to stop him. Link wasn't going to back down, and Ganon could see the resolve in his eyes. The guard was clearly uncertain what to do - Ganon grit his teeth, clearly displeased.

"Then I'll handle the girl," he growled, and moved to take a step forward - but Link reacted quickly, throwing himself forward, letting out a shriek, turning his body slightly to try to slam his shoulder against Ganon's chest. Link wasn't delusional enough to think he could knock Ganon down; he knew he simply didn't have the strength, but anything he could do to slow their progress for one second was another second Zelda had to flee.

Seizing her opportunity, Zelda tore the chain from her neck, grabbed the gauntlet on display, and shoved the stone she'd been wearing moments before into a fitted metal setting. It fit perfectly, and she felt a sudden rush through her body - wind circled up her arm, jostling her robe, and she gripped and shifted her fingers, getting used to the feeling of the leather against her hand.

The prince bought her time - seconds, maybe - but he wasn't going to be able to hold out. She didn't know _why_ he was doing this, but it didn't matter. Something told her she could trust him, and Impa had taught her to always listen to her feelings.

Ganon grasped Link's shoulders, trying to throw him off - but something curious happened the moment they made contact. A sharp glow suddenly emitted from _Link_ , too - but not from a necklace or a jewel. Zelda saw the mark of a strange symbol on his hand, and something strange on Ganondorf, as well. The top of her own hand, hidden underneath the gauntlet, seemed to burn in tandem.

She couldn't stay here and hope to understand what was going on. The guard may have had reservations about going after the prince, but he had no such reservations about her. He was heading straight towards her, drawing a dagger, and Zelda had no choice but to act.

She raised her gauntlet, and a burst of wind flew from its palm, throwing the guard backwards, slamming his body into the desk. She couldn't stay - this wasn't the time. The prince had made a valiant move to help her, and if she were to waste it, she wouldn't be able to live with that mistake.

Another gust of air shattered the window, and with quick, nimble movements, Zelda jumped.

Link was only barely able to see her escape before a sudden blow knocked him unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a forest, and a tree - a big tree, bigger than he'd ever seen before. Link wasn't sure where he was - he couldn't move, he seemed to just be watching, unable to move.

Dark clouds came over the horizon, moving quickly, engulfing the forest, pressing against the tree until it was destroyed. The clouds were unstoppable, an impenetrable wall, and they were heading towards him. Link pressed his eyes shut, lifting his arms to shield himself, and the clouds pushed in around him, increasing pressure on every inch of his skin.

 _"Have courage,"_ someone spoke - it was a voice Link didn't recognize, a woman's voice, gentle and encouraging. Link wanted to have courage, but the clouds had completely covered his vision, and as he opened his mouth to scream, they flooded past his lips as well—

Link awoke, suddenly, choking, coughing, pushing himself to sit up. It took long, panicked minutes for him to be able to breathe again. He gasped for air, trying to push the feeling of something thick and heavy filling up his lungs. It wasn't real - it had only been a dream. Once he'd calmed down and opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself in his own room.

Were it not for the throbbing pain in his head, he'd wonder if everything had been a dream.

Link let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding, trying to ignore his headache. He needed to talk to his mother - what had happened in Dragmire's tower was going to come out, and Link didn't know if he'd done the right thing, but having to explain what had happened was inescapable. Beyond that, he had to tell her what he'd overheard in Ganon's study - even without having the full details, he was certain his mother wasn't aware that the Archduke was ordering that the Sheikah prisoners be tortured.

But he couldn't tell anybody what had happened until he had it sorted out for himself. The details were fuzzy - between his injury and the fact that he was still clinging onto sleep, they were difficult to work out. Between each more concrete memory was something vague and far-away - he'd gone to the tower to see the Sheikah prisoners...there hadn't been music, he told himself, but he could _hear_ it - a simple melody plucked out on golden strings; the memory of searing heat (but it was _autumn_ , he reasoned, and cool outside); and that symbol, the one on Zelda's cloak, worn snug against someone's skin.

He was confused. He needed to focus. Letting out a quiet noise of irritation, Link pressed fingers against his forehead, head bent, trying to think.

They'd been in the tower - he'd run into that Sheikah girl in the hall. She didn't look foreign - her clothes were strange, but she was fair-skinned, and Link had seen blonde hair poking out from underneath her hood. "Zelda", she said. It wasn't a Calatian name, but it seemed familiar.

Zelda had pulled him out of the hallway, into Ganon's study - that's where Link had heard his voice, from the next room over, talking about the Sheikah. Zelda was busy, getting something out of the room - a sword, a belt, things that must have been taken from her when she was imprisoned. And then...her necklace had suddenly reacted, glowing, like she was using some kind of magic - but she'd looked just as surprised as he'd felt, so it couldn't have been intentional.

Link didn't know anything about magic. There were sorcerers in the palace who studied and practiced something called "arcane magic", but he'd never sought out lessons or tried to test for any kind of natural aptitude. Zelda's necklace had been reacting to something - something displayed on a glass stand on Ganon's table. It had looked like the gauntlets guards sometimes wore when they were in full gear - only much more detailed and ornate, and, of course, there had only been one.

They hadn't had long to be confused, though, because the door had opened and Ganon had been there, in the doorway, his form filling the entire space. Link didn't know why, but he'd been suddenly moved to action - it would have been easy to step aside, to let Zelda take care of herself (or find herself captured), not to be involved at all, but something inside him had forced his hand. And despite Ganon's threat, he'd attacked...

Link suddenly pulled his left hand out from the covers, studying it carefully. There was nothing there now, but when he'd charged Ganon, trying to keep him back, his hand had suddenly glowed... It was more than just light, too. In that moment, Link had felt some kind of overwhelming power inside of him, opening up, filling empty spaces within him. It was strange...

He clenched his fingers, trying to focus, trying to summon that power again, but the light remained extinguished. Even so, it didn't feel like something wholly new to him, even though he was certain that it was. There was a strange nostalgia beating in his chest, and he tried to focus on it, but in that moment, he heard loud voices down the hall, muffled by distance, growing louder as they approached his room. His eyes shot up from his hand, and he unconsciously sucked in a breath, chest tightening.

With his eyes up and looking around the room, it was hard not to notice the changes in its atmosphere. It wasn't unusual for Link to have clockwork servants in his quarters - he had several specifically assigned to him. They were helpful machines, although they occasionally gave off bursts of steam Link had to be careful to avoid. They'd been assembled (and invented) in the workshop of the royal mechanic, located just on the edge of the palace grounds. He was a strange, quirky man who was better with machines than he was with people, and Link had never gotten to know him that well.

Even so, the clockwork servants had been a part of Link's day to day life - they helped him dress in his complicated outfits in the morning, kept his rooms cleaned and in order, and could even pour and heat his bath water. But Link had never seen this many collected in one place before, and they all turned to face him, unmoving, silently still. Even in standby, they tended to click and whirr, but these made no sound at all.

Link swallowed, suddenly aware of the heavy, frequent rise and fall of his chest.

With forceful movements, Link pulled himself out of bed, stepping past a clockwork servant standing directly at his bedside, moving towards the door. There were too many to move past, and shoving them aside himself was difficult - Link hadn't realized until this moment how _heavy_ they were, although he supposed it made sense.

The voices outside of his door were much clearer now, closer. Link recognized his mother's voice instantly, raised and emotional. Even a pinch of emotion would be apparent - the Empress almost never showed it.

"He's a boy, Dragmire, not even an adult yet - of course I'll be the first to admit that he was out of line, but he was hardly _treasonous_!"

"With all due respect, Empress, I believe you gave me the power to decide on criminals and their punishments." It was Ganon's voice, pressed and heavy, and Link's entire body went cold and then hot at the sound.

"You'll be careful how you address me," the Empress hissed, clearly offended. "I have authority over you, Dragmire, no matter what tasks I've given you permission to undertake. My rule is final! Link will be punished, and of course there are questions he needs to answer, but— to even _suggest_ that he be _imprisoned_ —"

The heavy footsteps stopped - Link wished fervently that he had some way to see the scene taking place beyond his wall. He strained his ears, trying to hear any audial cues that could paint a clearer picture. Ganon's voice that followed was cold and cruel, but it was hard to miss the hint of pleasure there, as if there was nothing he'd enjoy more in this moment than the scene that was currently unfolding.

"I believe, your highness," he spoke, quietly, "that you have stepped away from your ability to rule." There was silence - Link could hear his ears ringing. "Calatian law states that the ruling family must be held accountable to certain standards - including impartiality. Yet you ignore the crime your son committed, insisting you be allowed to circumvent the law and that we all overlook this act of treason? Unthinkable."

"No," the Empress whispered, nearly inaudible to Link's careful ears. "You can't possibly—"

"Captain," Ganon called, and there was the shift and clink of armor as a man stepped forward - likely the same captain of the guard Zelda had attacked earlier. "The Empress has broken Calatian law. For the good of this country, she must be detained at my discretion."

"Yes, my Lord." There was movement, a shout, and sounds Link couldn't place, and he felt his heart racing, unable to believe what was happening. Surely this was still a dream...even an overbearing wall of dark, heavy clouds lifting and swallowing him up seemed more realistic than this. Link could hear his mother's voice, shouting, growing quieter as she was taken away.

And then, it was quiet.

Link stood in the center of his room, unmoving, dumbfounded. There had to be something he could do. He refused to believe he was powerless - but for a long moment, he could not bring himself to move at all.

And then, slowly, as the reality of the situation washed over him, he began to move, his gestures wooden and mechanical like the many clockwork servants around him. He turned, approaching one, ignoring how heavy his legs felt. He needed to get out of this room. He had to find a way.

There were four rows of the clockwork men standing in front of Link's door, three to a row - they weren't particularly large, coming up only to the middle of his chest, but it was easy to see how heavy they were. The servants were exposed in some places, showing their inner workings - complex machinery and clockwork and gears, intensely intricate and detailed. Link let out a breath, grasping one by the shoulders and attempting to move it.

But it wasn't just a matter of weight, he realized. There was something wrong, something new - just touching the servant made a sudden terrible feeling burst through him, starting from his fingertips, up his arms, curling around his chest and encasing his heart in ice. It diffused through him like dropping ink into a cup of water - Link had done it before, just to watch the smoke-like patterns curl and twist against each other for just a moment before clouding everything over. Link withdrew his hands, hissing as if he'd been burned. It had never been like this before - it couldn't possibly be the machinery itself. It felt almost as if the servant had been cursed.

And then, just as Link had made the decision to go to his wardrobe and search for gloves, there was a burst of red light and suddenly, the room filled with the sounds of whirring and clicking as the gears hummed to life. No, to call it "light" didn't seem right - while Zelda's magic had been a bright flash of yellow light, like the flash of a camera taking a photograph in low light, this light was something different all together - it was still a splash of color, but dimmer, and more like a cloud of fog or mist than a streak of light. It made Link's stomach twist, and the back of his left hand burned. Link looked down at it, just for a moment - that golden triangle was there, once again, shining against his skin. He'd only caught a glance of it before - he'd thought perhaps he'd imagined it completely.

The red mist moved and settled on the clockwork servants, quickly, and they began to move, as well. The rows Link had been trying so hard to move suddenly moved on their own, and Link leapt out of the way as they stepped, noisily, turning and rearranging to form two rows facing either side of the door, almost as if forming a pathway down which Link could walk to reach the door. What had caused their sudden movement? Were they helping him? Somehow, it didn't seem so...

With that, the door suddenly swung open. Standing in its frame, taking up nearly the entire doorway, was Archduke Dragmire. Link was left motionless again, staring forward - he hadn't at all expected to be directly confronted by Ganon - at least, certainly not now.

In this moment, more than even before, every reservation and uncertainty and discomfort Link had felt about the man standing before him seemed to be fulfilled. He'd had vague bad feelings about Ganon since he'd arrived in Calatia, seemingly from nowhere, and so easily become his mother's sole advisor. How had he managed to gain that power? Even the guard seemed at his command. Had this been his plan from the beginning? Link had played into it so easily...

"I'm surprised to see you out of your bed," Ganon said, his voice low and rumbling. "Perhaps that power of yours affords you some protection..."

Power? Link frowned. He wasn't like Zelda, or the palace wizards studying arcane magic. What "power" could Ganon mean? Wordlessly, Link raised his left hand, studying its back. The mark that had been inscribed there had faded yet again...

Ganon laughed - it was a cruel, dark laugh, nothing like the laughter he'd occasionally used in court or in the throne room. "I was right," he said, self-satisfied. "The legends of Hyrule are true, after all - and you're the key, boy."

Link said nothing, his lips pressing together, teeth clenching. He didn't quite grasp everything that Ganon was saying, but he didn't _need_ to understand to know what was happening. Ganon had imprisoned his mother and Link's situation wasn't much better. He'd read about Hyrule, but they were stories. Even if those stories were true history, they were thousands of years old and meant nothing at all. What mattered was what was happening now - his mother, the imprisoned Sheikah, Zelda, all of it. The law Ganon had invoked meant that he was now the highest authority in the Calatian Empire, and that was dangerous. What would he do, now that he'd taken over?

"Nothing to say, boy?" Ganon asked, staring down at him. He reached forward suddenly, seizing Link's hand in his own. At once, that shape appeared again against Link's skin, glowing, seeming to mirror a mark on Ganon's hand, as well. Just like that jewel and gauntlet Zelda had worn earlier, these two strange triangles were...resonating. The grin that cracked across Ganon's mouth was terrifying - his teeth had a sharp cut to them, and bared like that, Ganon was even more intimidating. "There it is," he said, softly. "That power."

Link wrenched his hand from Ganon's grasp, trying to escape from the man's large, coarse fingers. Ganon relented, loosening his grip, still visibly pleased.

"But without the third, it's useless to me," he said, the smile fading. "Don't worry, _prince._ I'll track it down, and when I do, the Triforce will be complete. ...Until then, I can't have you going anywhere." Ganon raised his hand again, and waved it once through the air - behind him, Link heard his window slam shut and then lock, and he turned to see it, just quick enough to catch tendrils of that red mist curling protectively against the lock. "I would advise you to behave," he spoke. "I don't have to keep you here, boy. You didn't make it far enough to see the cells your mother and those Sheikah are in, but I can promise you, they're much less hospitable."

At the mention of his mother, locked away, Link's anger rose past a point where he could control it. He cried out, screaming, rushing and launching himself towards Ganon as he'd done the night before - but he didn't connect this time. A sudden red, translucent wall shot up, and Link slammed into it, tossed harshly back against the stone floor. Ganon chuckled to himself, turning to leave, the door shutting solidly behind him.

As expected, the clockwork servants moved back into their rows of three, keeping Link away from the door. Link stayed lying on the floor, hissing in pain, certain he'd developed a few bruises from the exchange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't quite done yet! I'm so so sorry! I have bigger plans for this, which yes, will eventually get into a pairing as promised - but I've been totally slammed lately with illness, getting ready for school, and a lot of other unexpected issues. Please forgive me! I will update this very soon (as in, by the end of the week - tomorrow is my intention) and tie everything up! Until then, I hope these two chapters can tide you over. Again, I'm very sorry, this wasn't intended at all, I hoped very much I'd be done by reveal! I'll try to include something extra to make up for it. Thanks for your patience, receiver!


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